Wuhan University

“China's most beautiful university” (Republic-era Old Study Halls “cherry blossom castle”), cherry blossom season (mid-to-late March, reservation required) with thousands of trees on Cherry Blossom Avenue; Old Library (built 1935) with peacock-blue glazed tiles. Wuhan University was built against Luojia Hill beside East Lake; when the campus was carved out of the hillside in the 1930s, its “hills and waters, East-meets-West” planning already earned it the title of “China's most beautiful university”: the Old Study Halls cascade up the hillside like a “cherry blossom castle”, and the Old Library, completed in 1935, pairs peacock-blue glazed tiles with grey roofs scattered among the trees — a model of Republic-era university architecture. In mid-to-late March thousands of cherry trees burst into bloom on Cherry Blossom Avenue, and the scene of blossoms framing the Old Study Halls' “cherry blossom castle” becomes an annual social-media sensation; during cherry blossom season the campus uses reservations to limit numbers, so secure a slot in advance. In other seasons the campus is still well worth visiting — the tree-lined paths of Luojia Hill, the studious atmosphere by Weiming Lake, and the architecture of the Wanlin Art Museum are all great quiet photo spots.

Getting there: Metro Line 2, Jiedaokou Station, then bus or taxi